Dust-reducing material.



WALTER SNELLING, OF LPILTSBURGISL PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNDR OF ONE-HALF TO SMETH, OF IMTHTCLAIR. NEW JERSEY.

DUSf-REDD'CIIT MATERIAL.

Z 41 1 7mm 52? may concern:

"5; known that it, 'hil'rna (B. SPU'ILTXNG, the United States, and a rest ittsburgh, county of ilt l..ennsyl'vania, have invent u and useful improvements in Materials. of which the 'l'ollo' a s iet'sliietztion invention relates to dust reducing .aiials and "ularly to the. propane of dusting clot .s, floor mops, sweepell. ad antage is which oils have tor small icles .ist. in such deri r". satiuated unh suitable hem .m at (lusting cloths, or lio' b, or the like, impr i compounds, etc, in. .cn of the alh to x - gum; win such. oils, s sweeping compounds. have been A sweeping and cleaning iilotns, 'lfnrui...

the dust being). taken up by i oil. articles as they are commoni used.

have various detects which it is th of my HU'OP-lliOll to overcome. Ohi t iese defects may he noted the great i Inability oi? many of the compounds used, and the groasmess or stichn'u-ss ojt var-mus or teen: UUQJJFTG Ul. which ol u:cts cleaned are iv to be, soiled. invent on provides at'tflltUlPS oil this character whi i are as ql'eat 0 greater etlicieucy as dust remover than those n'criously known, have tendency to grease an object against which they are pressed and. are either time proof or least slow burning in their eha acter.

ll find that the halogen compounds of many hydrocarbms, particularly polychlorinated ethane, 1 u'opane, ethylene, and the like are both oily in their nature and quite non-l'lamniable, and. these substances have other desirable properties for the purpose of forming dusting cloths, sweeping compounds and the like. Examples 01? the suhstances referred to are ethane hennchlorid ethane pentachlorid and ethylene tetrachloricl, and all. of these sul'istances may be referred to as poly-halogcnated compounds of hydrocarbons containing two or more carbon atoms. By soaking cloth or other fabrics in one or more of these substances or by mixing sawdust with the same and heating until they become absorbed by the sawdust, I can obtain non-flan'nnable articles of the character referred to having decided advantages for the purpose (.lcscrihed. These Specification. of Letters Pfltwtx Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

Applic tion filed December 29, 1314 Serial ,vl'o. 5379,4147.

halogenated hydrocarbons may also be mixed with. arious heavy oils with results which I consider superior to those attained by the use oil? the halogenated hydrocrabons alone.

The oils which are connnonly used for impregnating fabrics, etc, to act as dust remmers i ertlorm this function elliciently but are quite g1"; say or sticky and are highly inflammable, and in the case of drying oils are ibjeet to spontaneous combustion When distributed over cloths, rags, or any similar materials which acts as a heat insulator. Mineral oils, such as heavy lubricating oil, are ctmimonly used for this purpose and sometimes inflammable vegetable oils. My intention contemplates, as stated, treating cloth, sawdust or other carrier for the oily ingredients with a mixture of a mineral oil or other oil commonly used for this purpose with one or more of the ioly-halogenated liydrocarbons of the character above relerret'l to. When a proper amount of the halogenated product is used, as for example lil'ty per cent. of the weight of the mineral or other inflammable oil, the mixture is nonburning. except when heated. to Very high tenuie atures. When an amount of the halogenated products is used which is insutlicient to make a mixture of the oils, or

mass and. prevents the other oil from burning with its customary vigor. Even the presence ol? but a small amount of one of the halo enated products referred to has a conside able flame .represing tendency upon a considerable amount o'l. an inflammable oil mixed therewith.

Furthermore, a cloth or other fibrous or cellular material treated with a mixture of halogenated. products and other oils as de scribed above has the further advantages over dust removers carrying only the minoral or other commonly used oil in that there is less tendency for the (lust remover to grease an object against; which it is pressed, while at the same time it has at least an equal ability to pick up dust and retains this 2 bility longer than the ordinary oily cloth. The halogenated products are, in feel and in general nature, much less greasy or sticky than are the other oils commonly used in. the preparation of dustcloths, etc. When the halogenated products are mixed with the heavy sticky oils, the halogenated oils act as solvents for the other oils so that the halogenated product seems to hold back or keep in solution any of oily or greasy matter over that required to be effective 1n picking up dust. As a r'sult, the cloths or other materials treated in accordance with any invention have less tendency to grease the objects against which they are pressed than if they were treated with the ordinary sticky oil, while at the same time, the ability to'pick up dust does not seem to be in any waylessened. I believe this to be because most of the oil'except at the very surface of the fibrous or carrying body is held in more or less stable union or solution in the halogenated prodnot, and that this unioiror solution is suiiiciently strong to keep the oily or greasy matter from readily passing out of the fibers or carrier, but is not sullicientlv strong to prevent the oil, under the influence of capillarity, from enveloping and sticking to dust particles and the like. As a result of this, a cloth containing halogenated products, together with other oils, feels much less greasy than does a similar cloth containing the other oils alone, the two cloths being of equal ability in picking'up dust. Apparently also the cloth containing the halogenated products retains longer its ability for picking up the dust. Probably the two properties referred to are connected, the ordinary oily cloth being too oily when freshly prepared and losing its oil rather rapidly under conditions of use, while when the halogenated product is used in admixture with the other oil, it holds back or retains in dissolved condition mostv of the oil in excess of thatrequired to pick up dust, and as it loses oil through absorption in dust or through drying. the mixture of halogenated product and oil gradually gives up oil so as to keep the surface fibers of the cloth in a condition of nearly equal greasiness throughout the life of the cloth,

The above may be understood clearly by a consideration of the action which takes place when a fibrous material, such as cotton wool for example, which has been wet with ordinary mineral oil, is pressed into contact With a dry wad of cotton wool of the same size, shape, etc. In this case capillarity would cause the second wad to take up oil from the first wad until equilibrium was established, when the oil was quite evenly distributed between the two wads, It. however, the first wad were wet with a mixture of oil and a solvent for oil, or a non-capillary material having an alfinity for oil, equilibrium would be established long before the oil had evenly distributed itself between the first wad and the second or dry wad,

since the oil-solvent present would exert a tendency to prevent asamueh of the oil from running into the second wad, because of the capillary actlon. In accordance with the above considerations, it is evident that a cloth or similar body treated in accordance with my invention may be made to retain a greater amount of dust catching oily material than would such a body containing the oil alone, while at the same time the impregnated fabric would have the property of giving up a small amount of the contained oil whenever it was brought in.

contact with dust particles or the like. It

may be mentioned that the saturating enmpounds comprised in my invention are insoluble in water, which is a property of obvious advantages for the purposes described.

In order to charge cloth or other carrier for the oil very lightly, I find an advisable method of procedure to be to dissolve the desired poly-halogenated mixture in gasolene or other volatile solvent for the oil and halogenized hydrocarbon used, by which fabric impregnated rather heavily with oil.

As stated above, I consider the poly-chlorinated compounds of ethane, ethylene and similar hydrocarbons containing two or more carbon atoms to be the best adapted for my purpose. able amount of an el'licient oil for picking up dust, such as heavy lubricating or other mineral oil, with which it may be desirable to mix a small amount of a drying oil, but

it a drying oil is used, the proportion of the halogenated product used should be some what increased to counteract the tendency wet the drying oil to spontaneous combusti n.

Its specific examples of suitable substances to be used in impregnation, I may mention a mixture of approximately 60 per cent. of hexachlorethane with 40 per cent. of a light neutral lubricating oil, and a mixture of equal parts of light dubricating oil an( l 12o chlorinated naphthalene. These may be applied either by partly saturating the porous fabric therewith, or by soaking the fabric in the oily mixture, and removing the excess by wringing, or by dissolving the substancesin gasolene, with which'the fabric is saturated, as stated above. A particularly satisfactory mixture for a floor mop is made by thoroughly mixing together, while warm, 25 per cent. of highly chlorinated Y \Vith this is mixed a suit- 105 naphthalene, 25 per cent. of hexachlor ethane, 15 per cent. of trichlorethylcne, and 35 per cent. of a neutral lubricating oil or about 30 136., percentages referring to weight. The cloth to be treated 18 either saturated, and the excess removed by pressure, or the mixture is diluted with about twice its volume of gasolene, and the cloth soaked in the mixture for a few moments, wrung out carefully, and left lo dry. in the above composition the chlorinated substances quickly dissolve in. the lubricating oil, to form a homogeneous compound.

It should be noted that the heavy oils iiicluded herein and commonly used in dusl ing clothes are of low volatility, and that the halogenated carbon compounds which I add thereto are of similar low volatility. By absorbing these two admixed products into a porous fabric, or the like, a dust remover is obtained, as stated, having marked adhesive properties toward dnst'and being at the same time free from fire hazard. It should also be noted that the product obtained is capable of removing dust from furniture without having any solvent or damaging action upon paint or varnish.

Polychlorinated bodies, such as polyclilorethane, mentioned herein, are well. recognized having a solvent elfect upon paints, and to be efficient paint removers. My in vention, on the contrary, comprises the dis-- covery that, when used in COlljlll'iClllOll with mineral oils in suitable proportions, and applied to cloth or other fibrous materials in quantity only sul'licient to thoroughly satirrate the libers, the halogenated hydrocarbons described no longer have paint-removing properties. The product of my invcntion may, on the c nti.'a.ry, be safely used to wipe oil the surfaces of. painted objects, for which [)iliPOHO it serves adniii'ably as a. cleaning agent and enables painted and van nished articles to be kept ('i'co from dust.

Having now described my invention what l claim and desire lo protect by Letters Patent is as 'lolloii's:

l. A diisl-rciiiovei', comprising a fabric lightly charged with an oil having all'inity for dust and a non-flammable oily solvent for said oil, both said oil and solvent being insoluble in water and both oli the same ring of low volatility.

2. A dust-reniovrr, coini'irising a 'l'abi'ic impregnated wi h a mixture ot an oily :w'lll) stance, adapted to pick up iii when brought in contact therewith, ano oolylialogeiiatcd oil compound of a li wiiorarb 'ni containiing at least two carbon a iens o i'lic molecule, said oily substance and i" being both of low Volatility and tin.

material lightly (:lldl'gOtl with a mixture of a heavy oil o'l, low volatility adapted to pick up dust when brought in contact therewith and a polychloi'inatcd compound of ethane.

5. A diist-ri-inover, con'iprising a fibrous material charged with a mixture of an oily substance adapted to pick up dust when brought in contact therewith and a nontlammablc,non-capillary oily substance having an allinity for said filSirliZLIllGCl oily subslance, both said substances being of low volatility (i. ihist-rciiiovcr, comprising a fibrous material lightly charged with an oily substanc, adapted to pick up dust when brought in contact therewith, comprising a mineral oil and non-llammable halogenated hydrocarbon substances in solution with said oil, said mineral oil. and hahagenatcd substances being all. of low volatility.

T. A dust-remover, comprising a fibrous material charged with an oily substance emnprising a mineral. oil, chlorinated naphthalcnc, and a polychlorinated hydrocarbon oi the series C ll 8. A dust-remover comprising a fibrous material charged with an oily substance comprising a mineral oil, chlorinated naphthalciie, and non-flammable halogen compounds of ethane and ethylene.

E). The process ol forming a dust remover consisting in dissolving a poly-halogenate( iion-i'lan'iinal le oily l'iydrocarbon, containing at least two carbon atoms to the molecule, in a. volalilc solvent therefor, to make a solution of desired COI'ICQlltI'ZltlOIl, dipping a fibrous id. s'a.iicc therein, and permitting the volatile solvent to evaporate.

in. The process of forming .3, dust-remover, consisting in dissolving a mixture of an oil and a non l'lammable halogenated oily hydrocarbon in a volatile solvent therefor, to make a solution of desired concentration, dippii'ig a fibrous substance therein, and permitting the volatile solvent to evaporate.

This specification signed and witnessed this 22nd day of December, 1914:.

WALER O. SNELLING.

/Vil ncsses M. R. McKeowN, K. KELLY.

Corrections ih Letters Patent No. 1,258,637.

It is hefeby certified that in Letters Petem'; N0. 1 ,25 8,637,gmnted March 5, 1918,

E upon the application off-Walter O. Smelling; of Pittsburgh, Pemlsylvani a, an I tion requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 68, for the Word materials read material: page 2, him 8, for the Word engf read my; page 3, line 58, fer the Word f oil read oily; and that the said Letters Patent should he read with these correc- '1 tions thereie that bhe same may conferm to the record 0f the case in the Patent ()fiice.

Signed and sealed this 16th day of April, A. 1)., 1918. I

[SEAL] F. W. H 0mm Acting Uommissioner of Patents. 01'. s7-5.

improvement in Dust-Reducing Materials, errors appear in the printed specifica- 

